And the bower city machine com



(No Model.) 7

H. E. WALLIS.

SHIFTING ATTACHMENT FOR VEHICLE SHAFTS.

No. 372 394. Patented Nov. 1, 1887.

N. PErER s. Phow-ulhu n hor, Washington, D4 a UNITED STATES PATENT.

runes.

HARRY E. WALLIS, OF JANESVILLE, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR TO GOBTON W.

NICHOLS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, AND THE BOWER CITY MACHINE COM- PANY, OFJ ANESVILLE, \VISCONSIN.

SHIFTING ATTACHMENT FOR VEH lCLE-SHAFTS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 372,394, dated November1, 1887.

Application filed November 2. 1886. Serial No. 217.782.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARRY E. \VALLIS, of Janesville, in the State ofW'isconsin, have i11- vented a certain new and useful Shifting andLocking Attachment for the Shafts of Vehicles, of which the following isa specification.

The invention relates to one-horse vehicles, and the object is toprovide therefor a shifting and locking attachment, whereby the shafts,1) maybe released and changed in position from center draft to sidedraft, or vice versa, and locked again in position by the person drivingwithout stopping or alighting, so that the horse will be directly infront when traveling in a broad even roadway, as in cities, orsufficiently to one side to follow in one-path of a two-path roadway, asin the country. I attain the object by the means illustrated in theaceompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 represents a top view of theattachment as applied to a cutter or sleigh, the shafts being inposition for center draft. Fig. 2 represents the same, the shafts beingin position for side draft. Fig. 3 is a side view.

A designates the cross or back bar of the shafts a.

B is the cross-bar of the cutter. This bar is provided with a red, C,which is attached to the bar by screw-bolts c at the ends and 33eyebolts 0 near the central portion, which serve as stays to the rod,and also answer the purpose of lugs or stops, as hereinafter explained.

The cross or back bar, A, of the shafts is con- 3 5 nected to the red Cby eyebolts a, the eyes of which slide 011 the rod between the ends andthe points where the eyebolts c are located.

A spring-latch, D, is attached to the bar A and extends backward, so asto come in contact with the eyebolts or stops 0, and is pro- (No model.)

vided with a notch or short curve at 4, arranged to spring intoengagement with the forward end of the eyebolts, operating as stops.

A hole is made in the end of the spring-latch, through which a cord, E,is attached and passed 5 over rollers c c on the bar A B, and extendedback into the cutter-box, near the feet, and within reach of a personoccupying the front seat thereof, the arrangement being such that bypulling on the cord in one direction, as in dicated by the arrow, Fig.1, the spring will be loosed from the eyebolt to which it is caught andthe shafts caused to slide over to one side to the position shown inFig. 2, in which it will be stopped by one of the stops 0' and locked onthe other by the spring engaging therewith. Pulling the cord in theopposite direction in like manner releases the springlateh and returnsthe shafts to the central po sition, in which they are again locked bythe latch engaging the other stop. The attachment of the spring-latch tothe bar A, so that it may move therewith, is essential, in order thatthe cord may effect both the unlocking and the shifting and relocking ofthe shafts in the manner described.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

The combination, with the sliding bar A, provided with eyebolts a a, andspring-latch D, having a notch, d, of the stationary bar B, providedwith red C and stops 0 c, and the cord E, connected to said spring-latchand to said bars A B and extended into the front of the vehicle-box,substantially as specified.

HARRY E. \VALLIS.

TVitnesses:

WILLIAM STREET, HENRY S. Luce.

